A historic, multiday storm has passed, but Vermont rivers are still swelling and more rain could fall later this week, prolonging the danger and destruction that has imperiled the state since Sunday night.
“We are not out of the woods. This is nowhere near over,” Gov. Phil Scott said at a Tuesday morning press conference. “And at this phase, our primary focus continues to be on life and safety before we can shift into a recovery phase.”
Thousands of homes and business have been flooded. More than 75 roads remained closed, state officials said, and more than 4,000 Green Mountain Power customers were without electricity as of noon. The state had not yet recorded any injuries or deaths, but rescue crews were still trying to reach affected areas by boat and helicopter — an operation that is expected to continue for several more days.
“The devastation is far-reaching,” Scott said.
Severe flooding stretched from Woodstock in the south to Johnson in the north. Two regions have been hardest hit, Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said: the Barre-Montpelier area, where downtowns were still underwater on Tuesday, and several towns in the southern Green Mountains, including Ludlow, Londonderry and Weston.
More than five inches of rain fell in those places. Barre received nearly eight inches, while Plymouth, the small Windsor County town south of Killington, received more than nine inches.
A stretch of Interstate 89 near Montpelier was closed overnight on Monday as rushing waters submerged the road. The Agency of Transportation reopened the interstate on Tuesday morning, though one northbound lane remained closed.
Some people remained in state and local emergency shelters on Tuesday, while others were able to return home as floodwaters receded in some places. Scott cautioned that rivers had not yet crested everywhere; the Winooski River near the City of Winooski wasn’t expected to reach high water until later on Tuesday, according to its city manager.
Forecasted rain on Thursday and Friday could bring additional flooding because soils and waterways are already saturated. Officials are monitoring the forecast and beginning to model potential impacts.
“That’s giving us a lot of concern,” Scott said.
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